Taken from my community gathering exhortation (April 18, 2021). Edited for the purpose of this blog.
I heard Fr. Mike Schmitz's Bible in a year (a.k.a. BIAY) is taking the podcast by storm. It started just this January of this year 2021.
This account of God commanding His people to have "Judah go up first" according to Fr. Mike and Jeff Cavin has an interesting significance and got me reflecting its connection to our prayer life and worship time. And that sense and significance from the Lord is that: by Judah going up first, God is saying that Praise must go up first. For Judah means Praise.
Because to say Praise goes up first is to set our day in motion focus on the goodness of God first things first and less of ourselves, our worries or concerns. To have praise go up first is to go into our daily routine and face our trials, difficulties and battle focus on the glory of God first rather than begin our day asking God why we have all these pains and sufferings.
When we take time to see the goodness and glory of God up first, it helps us cultivate the virtue of hope and surrender, the virtue of acceptance and contentment, and the virtue of trust and gratitude, regardless of how we feel. It reminds us that in every circumstances, good or bad, God will be in control, that everything happen and will happen for a reason to which God will intend it for our greater good, and helps bring ourselves an awareness that God surpasses and will surpass all our fears and anxieties. In other words, to have Praise to our Lord go up first reminds us that the artist is greater than the artwork, that the creator is greater than the creation.
Yet we know it is easier said than done. Like St. Peter, sometimes we still take our eyes off our Lord and look at the waves and wind instead, and start sinking walking towards our Lord in the stormy sea. And so we continually ask our heavenly Father for the grace to cultivate this virtue of praise. As we face our everyday trials and spiritual battle, let us strive to keep in mind to send Judah as the Lord prescribed, let us have Praise go up first.
If you aren't familiar with Fr. Mike's BIAY podcast, basically each episode he would read a book or two from the Bible, chapters and verses based off of Jeff Cavin's Great Bible Adventure color-coded Bible reading plan or timeline as a guide, and then he would follow it up with a short commentary. Each episode runs around 20 minutes on average.
In a few of Fr. Mike's commentaries after reading the book of Exodus, book of Numbers and Judges, he would mentioned Judah a few times. Judah was the 4th of the 12 sons of Jacob. The 12 sons of which the 12 tribes of Israel originated. If you are familiar with Joseph the dreamer, Judah is one of Joseph's older brothers.
Anyway, I learned from Fr. Mike that the name Judah means "Praise" in Hebrew. Fr. Mike said that when the Israelites would go into a battle, the Lord commanded His people to send Judah up first, and God will deliver the land into Judah's hands.* (If there were coronavirus at that time, the tribe of Judah would probably be the original frontliners.)
In a few of Fr. Mike's commentaries after reading the book of Exodus, book of Numbers and Judges, he would mentioned Judah a few times. Judah was the 4th of the 12 sons of Jacob. The 12 sons of which the 12 tribes of Israel originated. If you are familiar with Joseph the dreamer, Judah is one of Joseph's older brothers.
Anyway, I learned from Fr. Mike that the name Judah means "Praise" in Hebrew. Fr. Mike said that when the Israelites would go into a battle, the Lord commanded His people to send Judah up first, and God will deliver the land into Judah's hands.* (If there were coronavirus at that time, the tribe of Judah would probably be the original frontliners.)
This account of God commanding His people to have "Judah go up first" according to Fr. Mike and Jeff Cavin has an interesting significance and got me reflecting its connection to our prayer life and worship time. And that sense and significance from the Lord is that: by Judah going up first, God is saying that Praise must go up first. For Judah means Praise.
Because to say Praise goes up first is to set our day in motion focus on the goodness of God first things first and less of ourselves, our worries or concerns. To have praise go up first is to go into our daily routine and face our trials, difficulties and battle focus on the glory of God first rather than begin our day asking God why we have all these pains and sufferings.
When we take time to see the goodness and glory of God up first, it helps us cultivate the virtue of hope and surrender, the virtue of acceptance and contentment, and the virtue of trust and gratitude, regardless of how we feel. It reminds us that in every circumstances, good or bad, God will be in control, that everything happen and will happen for a reason to which God will intend it for our greater good, and helps bring ourselves an awareness that God surpasses and will surpass all our fears and anxieties. In other words, to have Praise to our Lord go up first reminds us that the artist is greater than the artwork, that the creator is greater than the creation.
Yet we know it is easier said than done. Like St. Peter, sometimes we still take our eyes off our Lord and look at the waves and wind instead, and start sinking walking towards our Lord in the stormy sea. And so we continually ask our heavenly Father for the grace to cultivate this virtue of praise. As we face our everyday trials and spiritual battle, let us strive to keep in mind to send Judah as the Lord prescribed, let us have Praise go up first.
Father in heaven, may your name be praise, may your name be glorified. We lift up our hearts to always honor you, to always praise you. We praise and thank you for you are love, for dying for us, for your salvation. That you are the same yesterday, today and forever. That you are our rock, our fortress, our refuge, our rescuer and shield. We praise you Lord for being the everlasting God, the Creator of the universe. We praise that your ways are perfect and your words true. Holy is the name of the Lord.
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” (Heb. 13:15)
*Judges 1:1-2
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